Infinite Regress
'' |image= |series= |production=40840-203 |producer(s)= |story= Robert J. Doherty Jimmy Diggs |script= Robert J. Doherty |director=David Livingston |imdbref=tt0708913 |guests=Scarlett Pomers as Naomi Wildman, Neil Maffin as Ven and Erica Mer as Human Girl |previous_production=Thirty Days |next_production=Counterpoint |episode=VGR S05E07 |airdate=25 November 1998 |previous_release=(VGR) Timeless (Overall) The Siege of AR-558 |next_release=(VGR) Nothing Human (Overall) Covenant |story_date(s)=52356.2 (2375) |previous_story= Star Trek Insurrection Covenant |next_story= It's Only a Paper Moon Counterpoint }} Summary Continuing on course for home, Voyager's long-range sensors detect a debris field from a Borg cube. The crew decides to alter course to avoid the debris, since the Borg tend to salvage materials and parts from their vessels, and may return to the area. As their general course takes them closer to the Borg vessel's debris field, Seven begins experiencing a form of multiple personality disorder and alternate personalities begin to manifest themselves. After several incidents witnessed by the crew, she is taken to Sickbay to try to find the source of the neurological problem. Seven speculates that it could be due to an active and undamaged vinculum (transponder device) still in the debris field from the Borg vessel. Voyager alters course to retrieve the vinculum and investigate further. Once at the debris field, they find the vinculum, still active, and beam it aboard for inspection. Further scans reveal a synthetic pathogenic virus inhabiting it. After reviewing a number of data cubes, they deduce that the virus must have been introduced by the Borg cube's last assimilation, a small vessel carrying aliens referred to by the Borg as Species 6339. Voyager searches out these alien travelers, who reveal their attempt to infect the Borg Collective with a virus designed to shut it down. Thirteen of their people sacrificed themselves to be assimilated so they could spread the virus. Part of their plan depends on more Borg to find the vinculum and use it like a "Typhoid Mary" to spread the virus further into the Borg network. However, Captain Janeway wants to keep the vinculum for a short period of time to give the crew time to separate Seven from it. Seven struggles to maintain control of the personalities splitting her consciousness - including some with memories of the defeat of the Starfleet battle group at Wolf 359 - while Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres and her team begin the difficult task of shutting down the vinculum. Tuvok suggests a Vulcan mind meld to help calm Seven. The aliens protest Voyager's interference with their plan and attack the ship. In the end B'Elanna is successful and Seven is freed from the link. The vinculum is beamed off the ship and the aliens disengage. In the closing scenes Seven expresses to Janeway she is unsure how to thank the crew for their efforts to save her. Janeway tells her to report to engineering to help with maintenance and Seven agrees, but states she has one crew member to visit first. She is revealed to be assigning readings to Naomi Wildman (who had earlier tried to engage her and helped through her alternate personality episodes) to help the girl with her ambition to be "captain's assistant". After giving Naomi several PADDs with the data, Seven tentatively asks Naomi to teach her how to play Kadis-Kot, a board game played among the crew. Grinning, Naomi agrees. Errors and Explanations Nit Central # Richie Vest I can think of several ways to destroy the Borg technology. Phaser, Photon Torpedos, etc. Sure the episode says this technology is pretty durable, they don't even try. Even it it worked this time, there is every possibility that it would not work in the future. # Corey Hines on Wednesday, November 25, 1998 - 7:09 pm: This whole personality problem needs to be looked at more closely. Since when have Borg assimilated Cardassians, Ferengi or Klingons. There were probably some individuals from each race who disappeared while travelling far from home. # 7o9 claimed that Capt. Tomba's ship was assimilated 13 years ago. That works out to about two years before TNG started. Why didn't the Borg go after the Federation then (like with 7o9's ship The Raven). Why did they wait for the Enterprise. Also the Stone personality must be dazed. Since the ship was assimilated 13 years ago, wouldn't she find it strange that the ship has a stardate in the 52000's? Actually all but one of the personalities reacts like their lives are continuing normally and not aware of their surroundings. Also, some personalities act like they’re in this time frame. Is there a Borg ship we're not aware of travelling in the Alpha Quadrant? Shane Tourtellotte on Wednesday, November 25, 1998 - 8:15 pm: The starship Tombaugh was assimilated 13 years ago, which would put it 2 1/2 years before the first hint of Borg activity in The Neutral Zone, and 3 years before Enterprise-D's encounter in Q Who supposedly let the Borg know the Federation was there. Poor choice of dates by the writers, although they partially redeemed it by mentioning the Melbourne, which was indeed at the battle of Wolf 359. Johnny Veitch on Friday, October 15, 1999 - 1:25 pm: Maybe the USS Tombaugh was a deep space explorer which was logged as "mysteriously disappeared"? ' # ''Brian Lombard on Tuesday, December 01, 1998 - 8:28 am: As soon as the Borg assimilated the 13 members of Species 6339, they would have had immediate knowledge of the virus, and could have prevented their destruction. ''Bob Brehm on Tuesday, December 01, 1998 - 9:32 am:'' I think the species 6339 leader had said they didn't know of any cure. Brian Lombard on Tuesday, December 01, 1998 - 11:32 am: Cure smure. As soon as the Borg knew the virus existed, they should have destroyed the infected drones, or at the most destroy the cube to prevent infection of the entire collective. Hmm. Perhaps that's why the cube was destroyed, and why we never saw any other cubes come to collect the vinculum.''' Category:Episodes Category:Voyager